1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an interior illumination lamp mounted on an interior member such as a ceiling surface of a vehicle or a sun visor within the vehicle.
2. Related Art
An interior illumination lamp, used for illuminating the inside of a vehicle room and for other illumination purposes as when making up the user's face, is mounted on a ceiling surface of the vehicle or a sun visor within the vehicle room (see, for example, JP-A-2003-118480).
In an interior illumination lamp disclosed in JP-A-2003-118480, a room lamp is mounted on a roof panel of a vehicle body, so that a light bulb, disposed at the inner side of the roof panel, is covered with a design part (particularly, a lens).
Usually, the design part is mounted on the roof panel or a housing to cover the light bulb.
The housing is mounted on the roof panel.
Specific examples in which the lens is mounted on the roof panel or the housing will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10.
In a design part 200 shown in FIG. 9, retaining lock piece portions 203 and 204 are formed integrally on an opposite surface 202 of a lens 201, and the lock piece portions 203 and 204 are retainingly engaged with a peripheral edge portion of an opening 206 formed through a roof panel 205, thereby mounting the design part 200 on the roof panel 205 in such a manner that a light bulb 207 is covered with the lens 201.
In a design part 220 shown in FIG. 10, retaining lock piece portions 223 are formed integrally respectively on four corner portions of an opposite surface 222 of a lens 221, and the retaining lock piece portions 223 are retainingly engaged with an opening portion 226 of a housing 225, thereby mounting the design part 220 on the housing 225 in such a manner that a light bulb 227 is covered with the lens 221.
The housing 225, having the lens 221 mounted thereon, is mounted in an opening 229 in a roof panel 228, so that the design part 220 is mounted on the roof panel 228.
In order to enhance a decorative design by accenting the lens 201, 221 of the design part 200, 220 aesthetically, it may be proposed to use a method of forming recesses and projections on a surface 208, 231 of the lens 201, 221 by forming cuts on this lens surface or a method of forming projections on the lens surface 208, 231 by embossing.
However, when the cuts or the embossing are merely formed on the lens surface 208, 231, the retaining lock piece portions 203 and 204, 223 and reinforcing ribs (see FIG. 10) can be viewed through the lens 201, 221 from the lens surface (208, 231) (that is, from the design surface) side, and this has invited a problem that the appearance is not attractive.
And besides, when it is desired to enhance the design of the lens 201, 221, its method must be selected from a small choice of methods (such as the method of forming cuts on the lens surface 208, 231 and the method of forming the embossing on the lens surface), and this has invited a problem that the degree of freedom of designing is low.
Furthermore, at the time when attaching and detaching the lens 201, 221, the hands of the worker are directly contacted with the lens surface 208, 231, and therefore there has been a fear that the lens surface 208, 231 is stained or damaged.
As means for solving this problem, there is known an interior illumination lamp in which a peripheral edge portion of a lens is covered with a bezel (i.e., a decorative portion).
This interior illumination lamp will be described with reference to FIG. 11. In the interior illumination lamp 300 shown in FIG. 11, a design part 301 is mounted on a roof panel 302, and a light bulb 303 is covered with the design part 301.
In the design part 301, a retaining edge portion 305 is formed at a peripheral edge of a lens body 304, and the bezel 306 is mounted on this retaining edge portion 305. The bezel 306 is retainingly engaged in an opening 308 in the roof panel 302, so that the lens body 304 and the bezel 306 are mounted in the opening 308 in the roof panel 302.
In this interior illumination lamp 300, the peripheral edge portion of the lens body 304 is covered with the bezel 306, and therefore when the design part 301 is to be mounted on the roof panel 302, the hands of the worker are prevented from directly contacting the peripheral edge portion of the lens body 304.
Therefore, the surface of the peripheral edge portion of the lens body 304 is prevented from being stained or damaged by the hands of the workers.
The bezel 306 severs as the decorative portion. Namely, recesses and projections are formed on a surface 307 of the bezel 306 by embossing, thereby making the appearance pleasing.
However, the recesses and projections are formed on the surface 307 of the bezel 306 by embossing, and therefore there has been encountered a problem that it is difficult to wipe off dirt and dust deposited on the recesses.
In addition, a color of the bezel 306 looks as a color of its surface (that is, a color of its material), and therefore a choice of the color is limited, and therefore it has been difficult to make the appearance sufficiently pleasing.